


Stranded

by theempress



Series: Promises Last A Lifetime [2]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-13 22:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7141466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theempress/pseuds/theempress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A promise to a child is a promise that remains for life, but what do you do when it becomes too difficult to keep?</p><p>(This story is loosely based on a storyline from a very old Doctor Who episode, titled Mission to the Unknown from when William Hartnell was the Doctor. Please let me know what you think! It was written at 2 am, so mistakes may be there.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stranded

They'd been stranded for days. Jim and Bones were becoming more and more worried as each day (or at least, what they thought a day) passed. The vast expanse of the jungle just seemed to go on, providing more violent plants and wildlife to be equally as feared as the locals.

"I can't believe we're scared of a couple of tin cans with toilet plungers and whisks, Jim." Bones announced, entirely in disbelief. His voice was hoarse, from days with little water and not much food. They were both at the point where they knew they couldn't survive much longer, and with danger at every new explored area, they knew they had to find a point where a distress signal could be sent. They just had to. Jim refused to give up hope.

"We'll get help, Bones. I promise you that. We are getting off this planet if it's the last thing I do."

"It may well be, Jim." Bones commented grumpily. Jim let out a weak smile, patting his friend on the back as they continued walking through the vast expanse that lay out before them.

They continued in silence for a long time; a comfortable silence that remained between two people who had been friends for a long, long time. The entire time they walked, Jim had one focus in his mind. The weaker he grew, and he could see that his friend was growing weak too, a promise made long ago kept playing in his mind.

"I _promise_ you that I will keep your dad safe from whatever harm there may be out there." His words echoed through his head, as well as the image of the sweet, eight year old girl who had been so fearful of losing her father that it reduced her to tears.

That same girl was now eighteen, a strong independent woman with a boyfriend of her own, who still feared the loss of her father. Before they went out on any dangerous mission, Joanna would video call them both; Bones, to talk about missing him and staying safe, and Jim, to swear she'd kick his ass if anything happened to her dad.

And every time, Jim promised that he would. "I've been doing it for years, Jo. What's one more mission?"

He replayed their last conversation. Normally her threats were delivered in an upbeat manner; jokey, not at all serious, and full of laughter. This time, she'd been in a very different mood. Joanna hadn't been her normal self. She was shaking, her eyes stained with tears, and her voice shaky. When Jim had asked why, she was hesitant to give an answer.

"It's nothing, just me being worried. Just a dream that felt too real." She insisted, but Jim felt like it was more than that. She was much more concerned for her father than when they normally spoke. She mentioned things that sounded almost as though she had foreseen what would happen, but Jim was too foolish and adamant he had it under control to properly take in what she was saying.

He ran a hand through his hair, glaring up at the hot, hot sun above him, and returned his train of thought to looking for some sign of a place where they might be able to make contact with the starship again.

They would make it out of here, alive and well. James Tiberius Kirk had never made a promise he couldn't keep. He wasn't about to start now.

*******

The two men sit, leaning against trees, exhausted. It had been four days, by Bones's count, and they were definitely feeling the effects of it. They couldn't go on much longer, but they were going in the right direction. They finally had a bit of signal. It was weak signal, but it was a guide in the right direction. They would make it out. Another day, Jim reckoned, and they'd be fine.

"Ow!" Bones yelped, a little louder than he should have.

"Bones, we need to be quiet!" He whispered, worried about the tin cans coming and vanquishing them. He couldn't get what had happened to those red shirts out of his head. It haunted him, a lot more than he would have cared to admit.

"Jim, something bit me." He whispered back, struggling in the darkness to see his hand. When he looked, he saw that he hadn't been bitten. His hand had carelessly been placed on the stem of a large, thorny plant. The plant was completely white, bizarre in appearance, as it looked to be fluffy, but the thorn was painful, as Bones had discovered. He quickly picked it out, wincing as he dragged it out of his finger, blood oozing slowly from the wound.

"You alright, Bones?" His friend asked cautiously.

"I'll be fine. Let's get some sleep, Jim." Bones insisted. The two men remained in silence, as Bones inspected the white fluff that begun to accumulate around the wound. He would deal with it once back on the Enterprise. For now, there was nothing he could do, but watch it, and try to sleep.

*******

The signal was getting stronger.

"We'll be back home before you know it, Bones. I can promise you that." Jim chuckled weakly, using all of his strength to manage the cheerful tone. He turned around to look at his friend, but the look on Bones's face made him begin to question his friend's health. His face was pale, his body was coming out in white patches, and Jim genuinely couldn't tell if he was hallucinating or not. "Bones?" He murmured quietly.

His friend collapsed. Jim quickly got down on his knees, watching him nervously, unsure of what to do. He felt useless. He was the worst person to end up stuck here with. "Please wake up, Bones." He murmured quietly.

Bones's eyes opened instantly, and he shot up. Thorns were coming out more, bursting through his suit. "Kill." He murmured.

"What? You scared me then for a second, pal." Jim grinned, standing up then offering his friend a hand. It was then that Jim noticed the look in his eyes, and realised this wasn't his friend any more.

"Kill!" He yelled, getting to his feet and going to touch Jim's outstretched hand with the thorns that were quickly consuming him. Jim began to run, Bones ran after him. He was slowed down slightly, but still pursuing him. Jim looked for the communicator, desperately trying to get signal. When it suddenly went through, he couldn't be more relieved, yet heartbroken at the same time. This wasn't his friend any more. He couldn't take him back with him. Not now, at least. But he would come back, one day.

As the crew teleported him up, Jim felt tears prickling his eyes as he faded away, his once friend leaving his line of vision, the look of rage and fury in his features one that Jim had never seen before.

*******

"What?"

Joanna's face was stained with tears, it was obvious she'd been crying again before Jim got on the video communicator with her.

"I'm sorry, Jo. He fell victim to something we don't have any data on yet, but I promise you that we will go get him and we will cure him one day." The sounds of her sobbing surrounded him. He damned the surround sound system, for once in his life.

"You promised me." She murmured. His gaze fell. "You promised you would look after him, Jim. I told you to be more careful." She yelled, tears falling fast and hard. Jim felt so sheepish. He was too ashamed of the promise he broke to be able to even look at her.

"I'm sorry, Joanna."

"Sorry? Sorry means nothing, Jim." She spat, wiping tears away. "Who else have you told?" She demanded.

"You were the first." He responded, looking up to her once again.

"I'll speak to you later, Jim." She told him bitterly, hanging up.

All he could picture was that same face, ten years ago, crying in his bed while her father was away on a trip.

He'd let her down. And he hated that he'd done that.


End file.
